History Main / MilitarySalute

* Not just military, but also in funerals for public safety, such as police, fire, and EMS. This troper attended the funeral of a friend and coworker who was also an active firefighter. The color guard calls all in uniform to attention, then calls to "Present Arms," and all in uniform salute. The salute is held as the dispatcher makes the firefighter's "last call" over the radio [[labelnote:*]]''"Firefighter John Doe has answered his final alarm. He is gone but not forgotten, and will watch over us always. Rest in peace, brother. We'll take it from here. Dispatch clear, 11:47."'' [[/labelnote]], and Taps is played. Finally the color guard calls to "Release Arms" and the salute is lowered.

* When a great national leader dies, expect many teary-eyed salutes to follow. Many pictures of [[FranklinDelanoRoosevelt FDR's]] funeral show US soldiers saluting while weeping.

-->''"Corporal, don't you know how to execute a hand salute?" "Yes, sir." I salute. I hold the salute until the [[ArmchairMilitary poge]] colonel snaps his hand to his starched barracks cover and I hold the salute for an extra couple of second before cutting it away sharply. Now he poge colonel has been identified as an officer to any enemy snipers in the area."''
-->''As is my custom, I salute [[SociopathicSoldier Animal Mother]] so that any snipers in the area will assume that he is an officer and shoot him instead of me.''

-->''"Corporal, don't you know how to execute a hand salute?" "Yes, sir." I salute. I hold the salute until the poge colonel snaps his hand to his starched barracks cover and I hold the salute for an extra couple of second before cutting it away sharply. Now he poge colonel has been identified as an officer to any enemy snipers in the area."''

Salutes are usually rendered by an officer (be it equal or lesser rank than the salutee) or enlisted soldier to an officer of equal or higher rank. The officer, while not necessarily obligated to return the salute, almost universally does. Not returning the salute is a serious show of disrespect and condescension, which reflects poorly on the salutee. This also has another interesting effect: initiating a salute towards an officer of lesser rank or an enlisted soldier, while not considered insulting (generally), is considered weird and out of place. In the United States armed forces and the armed forces of those countries which award the Victoria Cross, there is one exception to this rule: if you are a recipient of the Medal Of Honor or the Victoria Cross, you WILL be saluted by any member of the armed forces, regardless of rank. So yes, this means that [[BadAss badassery]] is worthy of saluting.

In the English speaking world, which here means the US and the commonwealth there are two types of salutes. The first, with palm facing outwards, is the ' ' British military salute'' '. This is used by the armies and air forces of most Commonwealth countries. Its origins are with the British Army. The other which is palm downwards, originating with the Royal Navy is the British ' ' Naval' ' salute. This is used by the Naval forces of the Commonwealth and the US Armed Forces. This is often in popular parlance seen as an American salute, even in the commonwealth. There has been examples of nitpickers and scolds attacking works (or real life) where British or Australians are depicted as saluting palm downwards as an example of EaglelandOsmosis.

In the English speaking world, which here means the US and the commonwealth there are two types of salutes. The first, with palm facing outwards, is the ' ' British military salute'' '. This is used by the armies and air forces of most Commonwealth countries. Its origins are with the British Army. The other which is palm downwards, originating with the Royal Navy is the British ' ' Naval' ' salute. This is used by the Naval forces of the commonwealth and the US armed forces. This is often in popular parlance seen as an American salute, even in the commonwealth. There has been examples of nitpickers and scolds attacking works (or real life) where British or Australians are depicted as saluting palm downwards as an example of Eagleland Osmosis.

In the English speaking world, which here means the US and the commonwealth there are two types of salutes. The first with palm facing outwards is the ' ' British military salute'' '. This is used by the army's and airforces of commonwealth countries. It's origins are with the British Army. The other which is palm downwards, originating with the Royal Navy is the British ' ' Naval' ' salute. This is used by the Naval forces of the commonwealth and the US armed forces. This is often in popular parlance seen as an American salute, even in the commonwealth. There has been examples of nitpickers and scolds attacking works (or real life) where British or Australians are depicted as saluting palm downwards as an example of Eagleland Osmosis.

[[caption-width:350:American and British army salutes, respectively.]]

* [[LupinTheThird Inspector Zenigata]] salutes Count Cagliostro when he reports in ''Anime/TheCastleOfCagliostro''. Cagliostro doesn't even acknowledge it, being the asshole he is.

The Military Salute is a long-standing tradition of military forces around the world, and it is obviously the most visible and known gesture of military protocol to the average civilian. There is an urban myth that it evolved out of a custom in which mediaeval knights opened their visors with their weapon-hand to be recognised and to show that they were not armed; in fact it evolved from the former custom of men removing their hats as a sign of respect. This is the reason that in some military outfits (such as the US Marines Corps) it is incorrect to salute when you are not wearing a "cover". (In other outfits customs are different, and salutes are given when bare-headed.) The salute evolved because of the introduction of headwear that could no longer be taken off easily with just one hand, especially bearskin caps and mitre-shaped grenadier caps. In the 18th century, when the military salute was first introduced, there were situation when it was still possible to give it with the left hand, e. g. on parade when the saluting officer was holding a spontoon in his right hand.

* The protagonists of ''ThunderInParadise'' are shown in a flashback sharing a goofy salute with their commanding officer.

* part of the protocol for saluting in the Royal Navy is explained by Jack Hawkins' character in ''Film/TheCruelSea'': "Don't salute indoors: I'm not wearing a hat and can't return it. Correct protocol is to take your hat off when you come inside."

The Military Salute is a long-standing tradition of military forces around the world, and it is obviously the most visible and known gesture of military protocol to the average civilian. It is rommantically supposed to have an old and prestigious history: medieval knights, after a battle, would open their visors with the right hand towards other knights, showing that they were an ally (by revealing their face) and that they were being non-hostile (by using their right hand, which is the one used to wield weapons). This gesture eventually evolved into the one known today, and it is both an acknowledgment of kinship and a sign of respect.

Many scholars however regard this explanation as fanciful and see the military salute as a gesture that evolved out of the elaborate way of taking off one's hat, ending up with the hat held by the outstretched arm held horizontally (or at a slight angle) to the side of the chest, which was the proper way to salute in the 16th to 18th century. The salute evolved because of the introduction of headwear that could no longer be taken off easily with just one hand, especially bearskin caps and mitre-shaped grenadier caps. In the 18th century, when the military salute was first introduced, there were situation when it was still possible to give it with the left hand, e. g. on parade when the saluting officer was holding a spontoon in his right hand.

Salutes are usually rendered by an officer (be it equal or lesser rank than the salutee) or enlisted soldier to an officer of equal or higher rank. The officer, while not obligated to return the salute, almost universally does. Not returning the salute is a serious show of disrespect and condescension, which reflects poorly on the salutee. This also has another interesting effect: initiating a salute towards an officer of lesser rank or an enlisted soldier, while not considered insulting (generally), is considered weird and out of place. In the United States armed forces and the armed forces of those countries which award the Victoria Cross, there is one exception to this rule: if you are a recipient of the Medal Of Honor or the Victoria Cross, you WILL be saluted by any member of the armed forces, regardless of rank. So yes, this means that [[BadAss badassery]] is worthy of saluting.

Saluting is SeriousBusiness for any member of the armed forces, and its misuse or improper execution are considered a serious ''faux pas'' at best and a serious ''insult'' at worst. If you're a soldier and you render an improper salute, expect a small lecture on proper execution and a SEVERE butt-chewing ''if you're lucky''. Worst-case scenario, you can even be taken for disciplinary action and get hit where it really hurts: your paycheck. As mentioned above, the salute is a sign of respect and kinship, so any kind of corruption, change or mockery in the salute reflects very poorly on the saluter.

Also, a very important characteristic of the salute is that it is a ''privilege'', not a right. While civilians may salute as a sign of respect for a soldier, this is more about soldiers gracefully accepting gratitude than the civilian actually being acknowledged in kinship. In fact, military prisoners convicted of a crime ''cannot'' salute: since the salute, as mentioned above, is an expression of kinship, saluting someone while being imprisoned is akin to saying the salutee is as much of a criminal as the saluter, which can end in a WORLD of shit for the saluter. However, enemy prisoners of war CAN be saluted according to their rank, and it is seen as a sign of respect and fairness for a soldier of the imprisoning army to salute the imprisoned officer.

The Military Salute is a long-standing tradition of military forces around the world, and it is obviously the most visible and known gesture of military protocol to the average civilian. Its supposed history is old and prestigious: medieval knights, after a battle, would open their masks with the right hand towards other knights, showing that they were an ally (by revealing their face) and that they were being non-hostile (by using their right hand, which is the one used to wield weapons). This gesture eventually evolved into the one known today, and it is both an acknowledgment of kinship and a sign of respect.

The Military Salute is a long-standing tradition of military forces around the world, and it is obviously the most visible and known gesture of military protocol to the average civilian. Its history is old and prestigious: medieval knights, after a battle, would open their masks with the right hand towards other knights, showing that they were an ally (by revealing their face) and that they were being non-hostile (by using their right hand, which is the one used to wield weapons). This gesture eventually evolved into the one known today, and it is both an acknowledgment of kinship and a sign of respect.

Many scholars however regard this explanation as fanciful and see the military salut as a gesture that evolved out of the elaborate way of taking off one's hat, ending up with the hat held by the outstretched arm held horizontally (or at a slight angle) to the side of the chest, which was the proper way to salute in the 16th to 18th century. The salute evolved because of the introduction of headwear that could no longer be taken off easily with just one hand, especially bearskin caps and mitre-shaped grenadier caps. In the 18th century, when the military salute was first introduced, there were situation when it was still possible to give it with the left hand, e. g. on parade when the saluting officer was holding a spontoon in his right hand.

* ''MassEffect'' and its sequel features this at several points; given that TheAlliance shares several similarities with the USMC and US Navy, the salute is American style. However, multiple times, they are shown saluting with their left hand, which is improper for pretty much every single military on Earth, which means it should be improper for a military force derived from those Earth militaries.

* In ''JAG'', Admiral Chegwidden bawls out a sailor who failed to salute him while passing. The "sailor" snaps at him sarcastically, because it turns out he was an actor in a movie being shot next to JAG HQ.

* Creator/GeorgeMacDonaldFraser's expy in the ''Literature/McAuslan'' stories, Lieutenant Dand [=MacNeill=] of the Gordon Highlanders circa 1947, suffers a wardrobe malfunction whilst changing the guard in front of a mass of VIPs. His solution:
-> ''"I was alone, with the worst to come. I had to turn again, march to the edge of the crowd in front of the General Officer -- with royalty beside him -- salute, and march off again. But I couldn't salute! My saluting hand was holding up my nether garments, and if I removed it I should go down in history as the [[NeverLiveItDown Man Whose Kilt Fell Off In Front Of Royalty At Edinburgh Castle]].\\

* GeorgeMacDonaldFraser's expy, Lieutenant [[{{McAuslan}} Dand MacNeill]] of the Gordon Highlanders circa 1947, suffers a wardrobe malfunction whilst changing the guard in front of a mass of VIPs. His solution:

* The ''MasterAndCommander'' film has a plot point where a character failing to salute is flogged.

* In ''{{MASH}}'', Hawkeye, Trapper John, and BJ tend to mockingly salute Frank Burns. Played For Laughs most of the time.
** Also from ''MASH'', one of the only non-mocking salutes Hawkeye ever gave was to Radar when he was shipping out - Hawk was busy in the OR but gave Radar a salute in lieu of the going away party that the casualties canceled.

* In the ending of ''ResidentEvil0'', Rebecca and Billy, having [[FireForgedFriends come to respect and trust another]], exchange a salute after Rebecca helps fake Billy's death.